kingnovel Chapter 864 If a ruler treats his subjects like dirt, then the subjects will treat their ruler like
Chapter 864 If a ruler treats his subjects like dirt, then the subjects will treat their ruler like
While inwardly cursing, Zhu Biao looked at Yang Shaofeng and said, "Those gentry probably won't be fooled so easily, will they?"
Yang Shaofeng glanced at Zhu Biao sideways.
Look, these are the children that Lao Deng and Li Shanchang, those old scoundrels, have taught together.
He understands politics, governance, and warfare; he is almost a perfect, all-around prince.
The reason he is said to be almost perfect is because this guy doesn't understand the gentry at all.
Unfortunately, gambling was strictly prohibited in the Ming Dynasty, and the measures were quite severe; otherwise, I could have made a bet with this silly child.
It'll be good for him to see what it means to be wicked.
Yang Shaofeng felt a pang of regret, then said with a smile, "Under normal circumstances, those gentry would not be easily fooled."
"However, the gentry are greedy, cowardly, and fond of plotting against others with malicious intent."
"Well, to be precise, these problems are not just found in the gentry; anyone would have them."
“When His Highness announced that the palace would be vaccinated against smallpox first, then the nobles and officials, then the soldiers, and finally the common people, these gentry and gentlemen would suspect that His Highness was planning to use the smallpox vaccine to make money.”
"Even ordinary people have doubts."
"Then here's the problem."
Yang Shaofeng looked at Zhu Biao and asked, "How can we quickly make money from smallpox vaccines and force them to pay?"
Zhu Biao pondered for a moment, and his expression turned extremely ugly.
How can smallpox vaccines be used to make money?
It's that simple.
First, stockpile smallpox vaccines, then find a patient who has already contracted smallpox and have him spread the disease.
Once smallpox spreads successfully, the vaccine can be sold for an exorbitant price, a price that everyone has to pay to buy.
However, most ordinary people know they can't afford that exorbitant price, and in despair, they can only wait to die or act out of a fit of rage.
Because the gentry and gentlemen were wealthy, they would mostly take the initiative to buy, and they could drive up the price themselves.
"Isn't this tantamount to forcing the people to rebel?"
Zhu Biao's face was gloomy as he looked at Yang Shaofeng and said, "As the saying goes, it is not scarcity that is a concern, but inequality. If the vaccination order is irregular, it will inevitably make the people think that the court treats them like dirt."
"If a ruler treats his subjects like dirt, then the subjects will treat their ruler like an enemy."
"At that time, it will be inevitable that the people will rise up in rebellion."
Yang Shaofeng glanced at Zhu Biao again, and his gaze toward Li Shanchang also held a hint of disdain.
Is this the perfect prince you've raised?
Their skill level isn't that great either.
Li Shanchang frowned deeply.
Following Yang's method, it is indeed possible to drive up the price of smallpox vaccines to an exorbitant level in the shortest possible time, and then use the income from this exorbitant price to allow people to receive free smallpox vaccinations without spending a penny.
However, Your Highness's concerns are not without merit.
After all, the Ming Dynasty had only been established for six years. Some people were loyal to the Ming Dynasty, while others were loyal to the Yuan Dynasty. Most people, however, were indifferent to who was the emperor.
More importantly, most of these people today have experienced war.
They know that peace and stability are hard-won, but they are not too afraid of death. If anything goes slightly wrong, it can easily trigger a major upheaval.
Headache.
This is such a damn headache.
Just as Li Shanchang was secretly having a headache, Yang Shaofeng chuckled and said, "Why doesn't Your Highness raise the bar a bit more?"
Zhu Biao was slightly taken aback and asked, "Start the tune higher? What do you mean?"
Yang Shaofeng said, "The so-called 'raising the tone' means making it clear in the article that Dengzhou University Medical School, under the leadership of Imperial Physician Yang Qing and the Fifth Prince Zhu Su, has successfully developed smallpox. The court will vaccinate all people free of charge, and smallpox will be eradicated from the Ming Dynasty."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Biao immediately reached out and patted his head.
We know where the problem lies.
His idea was to have the Ministry of Rites draft an article to inform the people of the Ming Dynasty that the medical school of Dengzhou University had developed a cowpox vaccine that could prevent smallpox.
However, he only thought about using the shortage of smallpox vaccines to attract people to get vaccinated, but he forgot the most important and crucial point.
How to instill confidence in the people regarding the smallpox vaccine, and how to instill confidence in the people regarding the imperial court.
Even if he had made it clear in the article that it was the idea of the imperial physician Yang Qing and his brother-in-law who came up with the smallpox vaccine, it would still not be enough.
At the very least, adding the name of Xiao Wu would not only give the people more confidence in the smallpox vaccine, but also give them more trust in the royal family and the court.
As for the rest, there's really nothing to say.
There is no need to specify who should be vaccinated first, nor is there a need to specify who should be vaccinated later.
All you need to do is say that the smallpox vaccine can prevent smallpox, and confirm that the government will give it to the people for free.
Those greedy and cowardly gentry would actively try to obtain smallpox vaccines.
Because the government provided free vaccinations, even if the common people knew that the gentry had been vaccinated against smallpox in advance, they would only grumble and say that corrupt officials were reselling smallpox vaccines, and would also curse the corrupt officials.
If you're really ruthless, there's an even simpler and easier way.
First, let those corrupt officials resell smallpox vaccines, then arrest people and confiscate their homes according to the list.
Not only could they recoup the money spent on smallpox vaccines, but they could also amass a large additional fortune for officials and gentry.
Furthermore, this would also provide a large number of additional laborers in Dengzhou Prefecture.
More importantly, this approach will prevent the situation from arising where "if the ruler treats his subjects like dirt, then the subjects will treat the ruler like an enemy."
The only outcome will be "The ruler treats his subjects like brothers, and the subjects treat the ruler like their own heart."
But then Zhu Biao thought about it again and couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.
This gameplay is indeed good, but it also has a weakness.
That is, the available time for operation is too short.
Moreover, the smallpox vaccine must be spread out in a short period of time.
Otherwise, if the people are unable to get vaccinated against smallpox for a long time, they will eventually think that the court is playing a trick on them.
Thinking of this, Zhu Biao looked directly at Zhu Xiaowu and asked, "How is the yield of the smallpox vaccine? Can it be spread out quickly?"
Zhu Laowu nodded directly and replied, "The preparation of smallpox vaccine is not difficult, and inoculation is also very simple."
“Under normal circumstances, one person can inoculate one or even two or three villages in a day.”
"If we hurry, we can complete the smallpox vaccination in a county in just a few days."
That's it, then it's a sure thing!
Zhu Biao smiled and put his arm around Zhu Xiaowu's shoulder: "Lend me those students under your command who know about smallpox vaccination."
After Zhu Xiaowu agreed, Zhu Biao turned his gaze to the group of officials present.
"You all heard what I said to the Duke of Han and the Duke of Ying, didn't you?"
"Let's follow this approach."
"And also, don't let it get out."
"If I hear any bad rumors that affect the grand plan of inoculating the people with smallpox, I will hold them accountable."
"Understand?"